Sierra Foothills – Newtown Road, a route from Placerville to Holly’s Hill in Pleasant Valley is draped with bright yellow and orange from peaking bigleaf maple and black oak.  The Sierra foothills are peaking,
Sierra Foothills – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
See photos at WINE AND FALL COLOR PAIRING

Owens Valley – the Owens Valley, from Bishop south, continues to carry crackling bright orange and yellow color, with cottonwood and rabbitbrush still at peak.
Owens Valley – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
See photos at OWENS VALLEY STILL CRACKLING

Redbuds- When it comes to redbud, it’s debatable as to which is prettiest in autumn… East or West.
The eastern variety, cercis canadensis, displays bright gold and green heart-shaped leaves.
Whereas, western redbud, cercis occidentalis, display orange, red, gold and lime heart-shaped leaves.
Both are equally stunning.
Redbud is often overlooked by color spotters who give up looking for great fall color as soon as the forests of aspen have turned,
Western redbud growing along Big Chico Creek in Chico’s Bidwell Park.
Cercis occidentalis are native to the Sierra and North Coast foothills.
In springtime, their showy pink and magenta blossoms grow in clusters all over redbud shrubs that garnish foothill river canyons.
Eastern redbud are a popular landscape and street tree, appreciated for their shape, shade and autumn color (best from late October to early November).
Redbud – Peak (75-100%) – Their range forms an upside down fish hook, leading from the SF Bay Area north through wine country and the Redwood Highway, then bending east through Trinity County to the northern Sierra foothills, then south to the Southern Sierra. GO NOW!
See photos at EAST/WEST REDBUD DEBATE

Sacramento Valley –This Sacramento Valley farm town, south of Chico, is peaking as walnut orchards turn golden, sycamore turn chartreuse and the last of California’s dogwood are heavy with bright red berries.
Durham – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
See photos at COLOR SPOTTING STARTS EARLY

Grass Valley – Black oak, bigleaf maple, red maple and gingko biloba were at peak today in Grass Valley, color spotter Robert Kermen reports, a sure sign that the Gold Country is a Peak of the Week destination for this weekend.
Grass Valley (2,411′) – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
See photos at GRASS VALLEY GLOWS

Mendocino County – similar to Napa and Sonoma counties, fall color is more easily seen in Mendocino County.
It requires driving slowly along country roads near vineyards and looking for vines that are turning color. Some are Patchy, some Near Peak, some Peaking and some Past Peak.
Do not enter vineyards without permission. They’re all private property, even if not posted (which they rarely are). Though, it is not necessary to enter a vineyard to see or photograph fall color, as it is readily seen along their edges.
Mendocino County – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
See photos at #MENDOSTRONG

Shasta Cascade – signs of peak approaching throughout Butte County.
Oroville and Biggs (to Oroville’s west) are near peak with Chinese pistache throwing off increasingly iridescent color around the ancient burgundy walls of Oroville’s Chinese temple.
At Sank Park in downtown Oroville, maple, dogwood and more Chinese pistache are peaking.
West of Oroville, Biggs Pond is ringed with yellow, chartreuse and lime-colored brush. The Valley oak are carrying the first signs of orange and yellow color.
Traveling north from Oroville, the Midway between Durham and Chico continues to transition with some orange appearing among yellow and lime oak and pistache, though many leaves along this boulevard have dropped. Walnut orchards up and down CA-99 are coloring up.
In Chico, the Esplanade, its famous boulevard, is overhanging with patchy Valley oak and Chinese pistache, though near peak color should arrive this weekend and peak continue to Thanksgiving Day.
Further north in Paradise, color has peaked. The last remaining black oak leaves hang proudly from trees around Paradise Lake.
Oroville – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Biggs – – Near Peak (50-75%) GO NOW!
Chico – Patchy (10-50%)
Paradise – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
See photos at NEARING PEAK NEAR CHICO

Sonoma – Near Peak (50-75%) – GO NOW!

Napa Valley – Near Peak (50-75%) – GO NOW

See photos at #SonomaStrong and #NapaStrong

Hayfork, Trinity Heritage Scenic Byway (CA-3) – Past Peak – You Missed It.

Plumas County – Past Peak – You Missed It.

There are also some older photos from two to three weeks ago at: MORE PHOTOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES